The University’s School of Veterinary Medicine has seen in recent years a trend of females making up three-quarters of entering classes.
The school’s class of 2016 was comprised of 69 females and 19 males, and the class of 2015 was comprised of 66 females and 22 males, according to the school’s website.
Assistant Dean of Student and Academic Affairs of the School of Veterinary Medicine Joseph Taboada said this is a trend that started in the 1980s when more women began applying to all medical fields. During the same time, men began turning to higher-paying fields, such as computer sciences and engineering.
Veterinary medicine demands a significant level of caring and empathy, and Taboada speculated this as a possible reason why women are drawn to it.
“In general, women tend to have a higher degree of empathy and caring,” he said.
Taboada said the School of Veterinary Medicine receives between 650 and 800 applications a year. The school doesn’t attempt to attract a specific gender, and gender is not a deciding factor of admission.
Among those applying, the ratio of females to males mirrors the ratio of accepted students, he said.
Fourth-year veterinary medicine student Ryan Dhuet said more women are going into the veterinary field because they “feel” for the animals.
“Women on a whole are more compassionate,” he said.
Elise Madara, a third-year veterinary medicine student, agreed with Dhuet, saying “Our nature is to be nurturing, is to be the healers, and we’re able to compete in that field now.”
Taboada said two years ago, women in the veterinary field made up more than 50 percent of practicing veterinarians. The men in the field are typically older and graduated in the ‘60, ‘70s and ‘80s.
Dhuet said men also have to be compassionate to deal with animals and their owners.
“I think most guys wouldn’t admit it, but I feel like we all have a soft side,” Dhuet said.
Dhuet said he decided to go into veterinary medicine after he realized human medicine didn’t excite him as much as he thought it would. He also said he liked how he didn’t have to specialize in veterinary medicine; he could do all aspects of the job.
Madara said what drew her to the profession was the desire to help people.
“Our nature is to be nurturing, is to be the healers, and we’re able to compete in that field now.”
